PURPOSE:
The cross-sectional study evaluates the incidence, localization, treatment, and influencing factors of back pain (BP) in Germany's elite athletes.
METHODS:
An online questionnaire was sent out to 3564 top athletes. We used the VAS to identify the intensity of BP and SPSS for statistical analyses.
RESULTS:
929 athletes responded. 514 (55.3 %) had BP within the last 12 months, mainly located in the lumbar spine (n = 293, 56.1 %). The average pain intensity was 5.75/10. Back-affecting exercise and additional burdens (e.g. at their place of work) did not increase the intensity of BP. When dividing the athletes into two groups according to the BP intensity, BP did not correlate with gender, age or BMI.
